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Just 26 years old, nail tech Stella Sampson has been working for a cosmetics company since early 2015, after studying chemical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens for five-and-a-half years.

From tosylamide/formaldehyde resin to stearalkonium bentonite, ingredient names can sound more like a top secret formula for NASA than a recipe for regular old nail polish. Each of these ingredients, however, has a purpose and plays a part in the overall performance of the polish.

Sometimes it can be hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to potential hazards associated with work in the nail industry. With persuasive voices on both sides of the issue, we wondered how many of you feel you are jeopardizing your health by working in the salon.

We’ve all heard of them by now. The big three: formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate (aka DBP). But what exactly are these chemicals and why have they been systematically eliminated from cosmetics?